Gilding machine

ABSTRACT

A HAND HELD MACHINE AND METHOD OF OPERATION FOR APPLYING A HEAT RELEASABLE COATING TO THE SURFACE OF AN ARTICLE FROM A COATING CARRYING FILM COMPRISING A FRAME AND AN APPLICATION ROLLER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON SAID FRAME AND HAVING A HEAT CONDUCTING SURFACE. THE ROLLER HAS A SUPPLYING STATION, A TRANSFER STATION AND A TAKEAWAY STATION ON THE ROLLER. MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HEAT CONDUCTING SURFACE TO THE COATING RELEASING LEVEL AND FOR SUPPLYING THE COATING CARRY-   ING FILM TO THE ROLLER AT THE SUPPLYING STATION FOR ADVANCEMENT THROUGH THE TRANSFER STATION AND TAKE-AWAY STATION. TAKE-AWAY MEANS ARE MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR DRIVINGLY ENGAGING THE FILM AND DRAWING THE FILM AWAY FROM THE APPLICATION ROLLER AFTER THE HEAT RELEASE AND TRANSFER OF THE COATING TO THE ARTICLE&#39;&#39;S SURFACE.

R. r. BlLLINGS GILDING MACHINE April 20,, 1971 Filed March 5. 1966 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

' A TTORNEYS R. T. BILLJNGS GILDING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1966 4Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

47' TOR/KEYS April 2 1971 RT. BILLINGS 3,575,772

7 GILDINCT MACHINE Filed March 5. 1966 -4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS April 2%, A971 R. T. BILLINGS I 9 3 GILDING MACHINE Filed Marc5, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent U.S. Cl. 156540 9 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hand held machine and method of operationfor applying a heat releasable coating to the surface of an article froma coating carrying film comprising a frame and an application rollermounted for rotation on said frame and having a heat conducting surface.The roller has a supplying station, a transfer station and a takeawaystation on the roller. Means are provided for raising the temperature ofthe heat conducting surface to the coating releasing level and forsupplying the coating carrying film to the roller at the supplyingstation for advancement through the transfer station and take-awaystation. Take-away means are mounted on the frame for drivingly engagingthe film and drawing the film away from the application roller after theheat release and transfer of the coating to the articles surface.

This application is a continuation-in-part of the copending applicationof Morgan & Billings entitled Coating Apparatus and Method, Ser. No.112,065, filed May 23, 1961, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,847. Thisapplication is also a continuation-in-part of the copending applicationof Raymond T. Billings entitled Method and Apparatus for CoatingElongate Work, Ser. No. 280,035, filed May 13, 1963, now U.S. Pat. No.3,433,698.

This invention relates to a machine for applying gilding to articles,and is especially concerned with a machine for this purpose which ishand held. Machines constructed in accordance with the invention arequite compact and conveniently manipulated, and thus can apply gildingto articles Which are much larger than the machine itself. For example,a machine of the invention which is approximately the size of acarpenters plane can be used to apply gilding to a room wall if desired.

While many of the features of the present invention are especiallyapplicable to a hand held gilding machine, many are applicable to othertypes of gilding machines, including larger machines arranged forautomatic or semiautomatic operation.

The type of gilding with which the machines of the invention are mostuseful is that which is carried on a heat releasable film. Such heatreleasable films have been known for a considerable time in the art ofhot stamping titles and decorations on book covers. While such filmswill be described in more detail later herein it can be pointed out herethat they consist generally of a plastic film or sheet to which has beenbonded a thin layer of the gilding material, such as, for example, goldfoil. The foil is bonded to the film by a heat releasable adhesiveagent, such as wax. With such an adhesive, the bond between the carrierfilm and the gilding material of foil is destroyed when heat is appliedto the foil, and the gilding material can thus be separated from thecarrier film. On the surface of the gilding material facing away fromthe carrier film there is an adhesive, commonly called a sizing, bymeans of which the gilding material can be secured to the surface towhich it is to be applied. The sizing is activated to perform itsadhesive function by means of heat and pressure. The activation of thesizing is also dependant upon the time during which heat and pressureare applied, sometimes called the dwell time. The particular type ofsizing employed in a given situation depends on the type of surface towhich the gilding is being applied, since different sizings have varyingbonding properties to different surfaces.

The application of gilding to articles has presented problems which areovercome by my invention, and which have heretofore retarded the use ofgilding. To the extent that gilding has been used at all, it has usuallybeen applied to articles in the form of gold leaf. Efforts to utilizeheat releasable films, which have found some use in a hot stamping oftitles, etc., on books, have proved generally unsuccessful when the goalis to apply the gilding over relatively large areas. One of the mostserious problems arises from the fact that almost any surface to whichthe gilding is to be applied has minute irregularities thereon whichmake it difficult to obtain uniform secure adhesion of the gilding tothe surface. Another related problem which has been encountered is thatof accurately positioning the carrier film on the article to be gildedand securely holding it there prior to and during the application ofheat and pressure to release the gilding from the film. Thus, in priortechniques the film has sometimes been placed on the surface of thearticle to be gilded by hand, after which a separate tool such as aroller or surface plate is moved across the film to apply heat andpressure to effect releasing of the gilding and its adhesion to thesurface. However, the hand manipulation of the film often Wrinkles ordamages the gilding, and the movement of the heat and pressure toolacross the surface often causes a bow wave to be created in the filmadjacent the tool and also shifting and movement of the film on thesurface. Another problem encountered involves the diificulty ofobtaining uniform application of heat to the film to release thegilding, especially When a heat source external to the pressure tool isemployed. The foregoing difficulties, and others, have severely limitedthe use of gilding for decorative purposes. To the extent that gildinghas been used it has been necessary to employ relatively expensive goldleaf in most cases, rather than other gilding materials which are at thesame time less expensive and more varied in the decorative effects theyproduce.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a machine whichovercomes the foregoing problems, and others, and which is extremelyeffective in applying gilding to surfaces. The terms gilding and coatingare used herein in a broad sense to refer to a large class of thinfilm-like decorative materials. Most of the discussion will refer togold foil as an example, but it should be understood that foils of othermetals, and coatings of other film-like materials can also be applied byuse of the invention. Examples include aluminum foils both uncolored andcolored by the use of pigments and dyes, plastic foils colored withpigments or dyes, foils of the precious metals, plastic foils carryingpatterns such as Wood grain colors and patterns, decals and similarmaterials.

While the embodiments of the invention discussed herein are machinesdesigned for hand-held operation, it should be kept in mind that certainfeatures of the invention can be effectively utilized in other types ofmachinery.

In constructing and operating a gilding machine in accordance with theinvention I make use of a heated resiliently surfaced roller as the keycoating applying element. This roller is utilized both for applying heatand pressure to effect release of the gilding from the carrier film andadhesion to the surface, and for positioning the carrier film on thesurface in preparation for the 3 coating application step itself. I alsoprovide feed and removal equipment which cooperates with the heatapplying roller to assist in the accurate placement and disposal of thecarrier film.

In certain embodiments of my invention there are provided other forms ofheat and pressure applying elements for certain special purposes.Furthermore, in accordance with the invention specially configuredrollers are provided to obtain desired decorative effects and to shapeand apply film to a contoured surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine forapplying decorative films to surfaces which may be much larger than themachine.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine for applyingdecorative films to raised or embossed surfaces, that is, to surfaceswhich project above the main surface of an article in a preselectedpattern.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a hand-held gildingmachine which can be easily operated by persons with limited skills andwhich reliably applies coatings to surfaces.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hand-heldgilding machine which is especially adapted to apply gilding in confinedspaces, such as the inside corner of a structure.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a gildingmachine having specially configured rollers for obtaining specialdecorative effects and for gilding nonplanar surfaces.

The above objects and purposes together with other objects and purposesmay be more readily understood by a consideration of the detaileddescription which follows, together with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of an apparatus embodying certainfeatures of the invention as applied to a machine for gilding the edgesof books, this figure being the same as figure 3 of U.S. Pat. No.3,252,847;

FIG. 2 is a partial top perspective view of an apparatus embodyingcertain features of the invention, which is especially adapted forcoating elongate work, the view being the same as figure 4 ofapplication Ser. No. 280,- 035, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,698;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hand-held gilding machine which isshown applying gilding to a vertical surface, such as a wall or the sideof a cabinet;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a hand-held gilding machine of thekind shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the hand gilding machine of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5,with some parts omitted for the sake of simplicity, and showing theconstruction of carrier film feeding and disposal equipment as well asother features of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6, showing theconstruction of the resiliently surfaced heat and pressure applyingroller;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the roller of FIG. 7 with a muchenlarged carrier film being shown mounted on the roller;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 99 of FIG. 6showing carrier film feed and disposal equipment;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view showing amodification of the machine of FIG. 4 which is specially adapted forapplying gilding in confined spaces;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a roller, of the general type as shownin the preceding figures, but which has a specially designed surface forobtaining a desired decorative effect in the gilding;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevational view of another roller of thegeneral kind shown in the preceding figures, but which has a speciallycontoured surface for use in applying gilding to a surface which iscontoured; and

FIG. 13 is a sectional elevational view of another embodiment of theinvention which is specially useful in the application of gilding inrestricted areas.

Attention is first directed to FIG. 1 which shows a portion of theapparatus described more fully in above mentioned application Serial No.112,065 now U.S. Patent No. 3,252,847. As explained in that application,the apparatus is particularly suited for applying gilding to the edge ofbooks and like articles. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a book 101 is mountedin the apparatus for gilding in an operation in which the book 101 ismoved from left to right as FIG. 1 is drawn, that is, in the directionof the arrow on the figure. The book 101 is carried in this movement bymeans of clamping part 102 which is carried on bar 103 which is in turncarried on side piece 104 of a movable carriage. The carriage is mountedfor movement back and forth on a bed or table 105. The bed or table 105has a surface plate 106 positioned beneath the path of travel for book101. In the vicinity of coating roller 107 surface plate is apertured sothat the roller 107 can effect coating contact with book 101.

The table 105 is also provided with vertical support elements includingthat marked 108 and a subtable 109. Roller 107 is mounted on lever 110,which lever is pivoted by horizontal pivot 111 on support element 108 ata location spaced vertically between the bed 105 and the subtable 109.The lever extends obliquely and to the right toward the hole in surfaceplate 106. An adjustable eccentric cam is fixably adjustably carried bythe lower end of lever for limiting engagement with subtable 109. Thecam 112 is adapted to be adjustably fixed in any desired position ofangular rotation about the pivot 113. On the upper end of the lever 110is carried before mentioned roll 107, which is rotatable about thegenerally horizontal, laterally extending axis, and has its upper regionprojecting upwardly through the hole in plate 106 and beyond the uppersurface of the bed 105. Suitable resilient means or springs 114 may beconnected between the lever 110 and the fixed support element 108 tourge the lever counter-clockwise to its limiting position with the cam112 engaging the subtable 109. The roll 107 is freely rotatablysupported on the lever by a hollow journal in which is received aheating element 115 which may be electrically energized.

Leftward of the lever 110 and in substantial alignment with the roll 107longitudinally of carriage movement is an upstanding pedestal journal116, which carries a supply roll or coil 117 of carrier sheet material118. The sheet or strip 118 extends from the coil 117 rightward over theroll 107 and depends therefrom through a withdrawal mechanism 119. Thewithdrawal mechanism 119 includes a pair of rolls 120 and 121 arrangedto engage the carrier sheet or strip 118 in a manner just sufficient tosmoothly distend the latter, but insufficient to draw the carrier sheetover the roll 107 and unwind the coil 117.

The freely rotatable roll 107 is journaled on a hollow bushing whichcarries heater 115 inside it so that the heater transmits heat throughthe latter to the roll. The roll may be of silicone type rubber for heatresistance.

The operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is as follows: Uponrightward movement of the carriage 12 the book 101 contacts the roll 107depressing the latter out of path of movement of the book by swingingthe lever 110 clockwise against the action of resilient means 114. Theroll 107 is thus depressed and axially rotated by movement of the bookwith the carriage. The carrier sheet 118 may be of any suitable flexiblematerial, such as Mylar, and releasably carries on one face a film orcoating of any desired material, such as gold. The releasable coatedface of carrier sheet 118 is upward as the carrier sheet passes over theroll 107. Hence, the lower edge of book 101 frictionally engages thereleasable coated upper surface of carrier sheet 118 to effect movementof the carrier sheet with the book at the tangential region of contact,and rotation or rolling of the roll 107 along the lower edge of thebook. This feeds the carrier sheet 118 just sufficiently to apply aprecisely accurate quantity of gold or other coating to the nether edgeof the book 101. That is, by the rolling action of roll 107 as effectedby rightward horizontal movement of book 101, the carrier sheet 118 isunwound from its supply coil 117; and further, by the pressure of roll107 toward the book and the application of heat through the roll to thecarrier sheet, the coating of the carrier sheet is released from thelatter and applied to the book. In order to insure smooth and evenapplication of coating to the book edge, the carrier sheet is maintainedsmooth at all times by the slight frictional withdrawing action of thewithdrawal rolls 120 and 121. As noted hereinbefore, the withdrawalrolls 120 and 121 do not withdraw the carrier sheet 118 in the absenceof a book moving tangentially of the roll 7, but during such bookmovement insure proper separation and release of the carrier sheet fromits previously applied coating.

The apparatus of FIG. 2 is especially adapted for coating elongatedwork, such as parts of a picture frame. it includes a support in theform of a generally horizontal plate 122 across which a workpiece 123 islongitudinally moved for coating purposes. Drive means which are notshown on FIG. 2 are provided for moving the workpiece 123 across thebedplate 122. A coating station is mounted on the bedplate. The coatingstation may include an upstanding journal bracket or pedestal 124mounted on the upper side of the bedplate 122 offset rearwardly from thecenter line thereof so as to be adjacent to the rear side of thebedplate. The pedestal journal 124 may be suitably atfixed to thebedplate 122, as by welding or other appropriate means, and mayrotatably support a hollow shaft 125 extending generally forwardly fromthe pedestal normal to the longitudinal axis of the bedplate in anoverhanging relation spaced above a laterally medial region of thebedplate. The shaft 125 may be axially rotatable and carry on itsforward end a pressure roll 126 of specific configuration for conformingrolling engagement with a workpiece, as at 123, moving longitudinallyalong the bed 122 between the upper side of the bedplate 122 and thepressure roll. Thus, the pressure roll 126 is mounted for rotation abouta generally horizontal axis extending generally normal to and spacedover the bedplate 122. The pressure roll 126, or the outer surfacethereof, may advantageously be fabricated of material having suitableheat-transmission and resilient characteristics, such as siliconerubber; and, suitable heating means such as an internal heating meanssuch as an internal heater 127 may be located interiorly of the pressureroll and energized by electricity via conductors passing interiorly ofthe shaft 125. The pressure roll 126 is thereby adapted to applypressure and heat to the workpiece or molding 123 beneath the roll, aswill appear hereinafter in greater detail.

Located ahead or forward of the pressure roll, there is provided asupply station 128 arranged laterally across the upper side of thebedplate 122. More particularly, the supply station 128 may include apair of laterally spaced, upstanding journal brackets or pedestals 129and 130 respectively adjacent to the forward and rearward sides of thebedplate 122. The spaced journal pedestals 129 and 130 may be suitablysecured to the bedplate in any desired manner.

Extending through the pedestals 129 and 130, respectively, are pivotelements or threaded pins 131 and 1 32, such pins being in horizontal,end-to-end spaced alignment with each other generally normal to thelongitudinal direction of the bedplate 122. The pins 131 and 132 may berespectively threadedly engaged in the brackets or pedestals 129 and131, being respectively provided with locknuts such as 133 retaining thepins in a selected position of adjustment relative to their respectivebrackets.

Journaled between the adjacent ends of the pins 131 and 132 is a supplyspool or roll 134 having coiled thereabout a flexible strip of carriermaterial 135 provided with a transferable coating, say of gold. Thesupply spool 134 may be adjusted, removed and replaced by appropriatemanipulation of the pins 131 and 132, and in operation is journaled foraxial rotation about the aligned axis of the pins.

Rearward or behind the coating behind the coating station 124, there isprovided on the bedplate 122 a takeup station 136. The takeup station136 may include a pair of laterally spaced, facing pedestal brackets orjournals 137 and 138, respectively adjacent to the front and rear sidesof the bedplate 122 and suitably secured thereto. The forward bracket orpedestal 137 may be provided with a threaded in 139 extendinghorizontally in threaded relation through the bracket generally normalto the longitudinal direction of the bed-plate 122 and spacedthereabove. A locking nut 140 may be carried by the pin 139 forengagement with the bracket 137 to hold the pin in a selected positionof its threaded adjustment relative to the bracket.

In axial alignment with the pin 139, and rotatably carried by thepedestal 138 adjacent to the rear side of the bedplate 122 is a shaft141. The shaft 141 may project rearward beyond the bedplate 122 andthere be provided with a transmission wheel or pulley.

Power drive means, which are not shown, are provided effecting movementof the workpiece across bedplate 122 and for operating takeup spool 142at a rate sufficient to take up the spent carrier film as it isconsumed.

In operation the work 123 is fed along the upper side of the bedplate122 through the coating station 124, that is work 123 passes through thecoating station 124 between the underside of the pressure roll 126 andthe bedplate 122; and, simultaneously the web 135 is drawn from thesupply 134 to the take-up spool 142 between the upper surface of thework 123 and the underside of the pressure roll 126. It is preferredthat the web 135, work 123 and surface of pressure roll 126 all havesubstantially the same linear velocity to effect transfer of coatingmaterial from the underside of the web 135 to the upper surface of thework 123 with a minimum of relative movement or slippage. In this mannerpressure may be effected by substantially pure pressure and heat. Theparticular mechanism of the transfer may be conventional, such as ispresently employed in hot stamping of gold.

Thus, it will now be appreciated that the pressure roll 126 is in arolling relation with respect to the work 123. Also, the specificconfiguration of the pressure roll is such as to conform to the uppersurface of the work and thereby flex the web 135 into conformingengagement with the work. Of course, if full conforming engagement isnot desired, say to a coat only a portion of the upper work surface, theroll may be appropriately configured. Thus substantially nonslipengagement of the work with the web 135 is obtained while the web isdeflected by the roll into the desired conforming relation with thework.

Attention is next directed to FIG. 3 which shows a hand gilding machine20 constructed in accordance with the invention. The machine 20 is beingheld against a wall 21 by the hands of an operator, which hands areomitted in FIG. 3 for the sake of simplicity. The operator holds themachine and moves it against the :wall 21 by means of forward handle 22and back handle 23. The machine carries a supply roll 24 of coatingcarrying film, which film carriers the gilding for application to thewall by means of roller 25. As can be seen from FIG. 3 a number ofstrips of gilding have been applied to the wall, and a strip of gilding26' is in the process of being applied.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gilding machine of this embodimentof the invention has a frame 27 consisting of side plates 28 which areheld apart in generally parallel relation by means of spacers 29 and 30at the back of the frame and by heat sink 31 at the front of the frame.The rear handle 23 is attached to spacer 30 of the frame, while in theembodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 the front handle 22 is attached to heat sink31.

Roller 25 is mounted on the frame by means of hollow shaft 32 which isjournaled through side plates 28 of the frame. Thus, the roller 25 willrotate in the frame 27 when the machine is held in contact with thesurface and pushed to the right as indicated by the arrow 33 in FIG. 4.

The path of gilding carrying film through the machine can be understoodfrom FIG. 4. On the upper part f frame 27 is a slot 34 which serves as amounting means for the supply roll 24. A shaft 35 is seated in slot 34and the supply roll 24 is mounted thereon. The coating carrying film 36passes from the supply roller through a pair of film feeding rollers 37and 38 which are mounted for rotation on frame 27 in front of the supplyroll 24. After passing through the feeding rolls, the film 36 is ledaround the outer surface of the coating application roller 25, startingnear the top of the roller and proceeding in a clockwise direction, asin FIG. 4, is drawn around to the bottom of the roller 25. From thebottom of the roller, the film 36 is then led through takeaway ordisposal rollers 39 and 40 which are mounted for rotation on the frame27 between the feeding rollers, and behind the application roller 25.The spent film after passing through the takeaway rollers is fed outthrough the back of frame 27.

As can thus be seen in FIGS. 6 and 9, the application roller 25 and thefeed rollers 37, 38 and the take-away rollers 39 and 40 are drivinglyinterconnected. The feed roller 25, at one end thereof is provided witha gear 41 which rotates as the application roller 25 rotates. Gear 41drives a connecting gear 42. The feed rollers 37 and 38 are alsoprovided with gears at one end thereof, the gear for roller 37 beingmarked 43 and the gear for roller 38 being marked 44 on FIGS. 4 and 7.Gears 43 and 44 are in meshing relationship, and gear 44 meshes withconnecting gear 42. In this way a drive train is established betweenapplication roller 25 and the feeding rollers 37 and 38. As applicationroller 25 rotates clockwise, as FIG. 6 is drawn, connecting gear 42 isdriven counterclockwise. It drives gear 44 and roller 38 clockwise, andgear 44 drives gear 43 and roller 37 counterclockwise. Thus, a f rce iscreated on the portion of the film passing through the nip of feedingrollers 37 and 38 tending to urge the film to the right in FIG. 6 towardthe top of application roller 25. The sizes of the application rollerand the feed rollers, and the gear train interconnecting them areadjusted so that the circumferential speed of the application roller 25and the feed rollers 37 and 38 is the same. In this way there will be notendency for the coating carrying film 36 to stretch or wrinkle in theregion between the feeding rollers and the application rollers, and filmwill be fed to the application roller 25 at the same rate as theapplication roller applied it against the surface being decorated, whichsurface is indicated at 21 in FIG. 6.

In some instances it may be desirable to omit the feed rollers 37, 38and rely on the action of the application roller 25 and the take-awayrollers 39 and 40 along to move the film through the unit. In such anarrangement, the feed rollers 37, 38 may be replaced by a simple guidebar in approximately the same position as the rollers. Furthermore, insuch an arrangement the supply roller shaft 34 may advantageously bespring biased to yieldingly resist rotation, thereby aiding theuniformity of feed of the film and eliminating any serious tendency towrinkle during feed.

The take-away or disposal rollers 39 and 40 are also drivingly connectedto the application roller 25. This is accomplished by means of gear 41on the application roller 25 and connecting gear 42, which as explainedabove meshes with gear 41. Take-away roller 39 is provided at one endwith gear 45 which meshes with connecting gear 42. Similarly take-awayroller 40 is provided with a gear 46 meshing with gear 45. Thus, thedrive train between application roller 25 and the take-away rollers 39and 40 operates through gear 41 meshing with gear 42, gear 42 meshingwith gear 45 and gear 45 meshing with gear 46. Upon clockwise rotationof roller 25, the top take-away roller 39 is driven in a clockwisedirection and the takeaway roller 40 in a counterclockwise direction.Thus a driving force is exerted on the section of the film 36 passingthrough the nip of the take-away rollers urging the film toward the leftas FIG. 6 is drawn. Once again the roller and gear sizes are selected sothat the circumferential speeds of the take-away rollers and theapplication roller is the same. The spent film 36 therefore will bedrawn away from the application roller and the surface 21 to whichgilding is applied at the same rate as fresh film is applied to thesurface for gilding purposes.

As is shown most clearly in FIG. 9, the top feed roller 37, and thebottom take-away roller 40 are spring biased by means of mountingsprings 47 and 48 respectively toward the inner rollers 38 and 39. Inthis way adequate gripping force is applied to the film passing throughthe nips of the feed and take-away rollers and at the same timethreading of the film for loading purposes is facilitated.

The structure of the application roller can be understood from FIGS. 4,7, and 8. As mentioned above, roller 25 is mounted for rotation on shaft32. Shaft 32 is hollow and has mounted within it an electrical heatingelement 49 which preferably does not rotate. Roller 25 further consistsof an inner bushing 50, an outer bushing 51 preferably of steel or someother suitable metal, and core 52 of resilient heat conducting materialsuch as silicone rubber, and if desired an outer resilient heatconducting surface 53, which may be of a different material such asanother formulation of silicone rubber. At this point it should be notedthat instead of relying on internal heater 49 for heating the roller, itis possible to utilize the resilient surface itself as a heatingelement. In such an arrangement the core of silicone rubber 52 is of aformulation which is electrically non-conducting, while the outersurface 53 of silicone rubber is made from a formulation which conductselectricity. Electrical energy is supplied to the outer surface forheating purposes by means of brushes mounted at the end of the roller incontact with the outer surface 53.

FIG. 7 also illustrates an important advantage provided by the presentinvention. In FIG. 7 surface 21 to which the gilding is being applied isshown as having a somewhat irregular surface. Substantially all surfacesto which it is desired to apply gilding will have at least minuteirregularities and although the iregularities are somewhat exaggeratedin FIG. 7, some surfaces have considerable irregularities. The coatingcarrying film 36 is shown in FIG. 7 in cross-section at 36. As can beseen from that figure, the resiliently surfaced roller 25 accommodatesto the slight irregularities in surface 21 and tightly presses film 36against surface 21 at all points. Therefore, adhesion of the gilding tothe surface 21 will be obtained at all points.

Attention is directed once again to FIGS. 4 and 5 where it can be seenthat the handles 22 and 23 are shaped so that the machine can beconveniently held by the user. The configuration of the handles is suchthat the user can hold the machine against the surface being gilded andpress it against such surface with considerable force. The user at thesame time can easily move the machine toward the right as FIG. 4 isdrawn thus rotating roller 25 and applying the gilding to the surface.

An electrical cord 54 is fitted to the bottom of handle 23, and a switch55 for turning the power on and off is provided at the top of thehandle. An electrical line, which is not shown for the sake ofsimplicity, runs from switch 55 to the heater 49, passing throughportions of the frame 27 which are not occupied by other equipment. Ashort section of the electrical line just mentioned appears at 56 inFIGS. 5, 7, and 8.

The heat sink 31 mentioned earlier is positioned at the front of theframe and has a concave lower surface fitting fairly closely aroundroller 25, but spaced therefrom so that the heat sink 31 does notinterfere with rotation of the roller. The heat sink has two principalfunctions; one is to provide a degree of thermal inertia and thus tofacilitate heating of the roller 25 by means of heater 49. The heat sinkalso carries within it an electrical thermostat 57 shown in FIG. 4 whichcan be conveniently electrically interposed between switch 55 and heater49 for regulating the temperature on the application roller.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 8 from which an understanding of themode of operation of the equipment of the invention can be understood.As a user pushes the machine across the surface to be gilded (21)application roller 25 rotates in a clockwise direction. The coatingcarrying film as a result of this rotation moves around the applicationroller 25 and into contact with surface 21. In a manner of speaking, theheat releasable film 36 is laid down upon the surface by the rotation ofroller 25. The structure of film 36 is shown in detail in FIG. 8, asmentioned before on a much enlarged scale. The fil-m 36 consists of aplastic carrying film 58 on one surface of which is a thin layer of heatreleasable adhesive 59, such as wax. The next layer of the film is thegilding material itself, which is designated as 60. The gilding materialis held on the plastic film 58 by means of the wax 59. On the surface ofthe gilding material 60 facing away from film 58 is a layer of sizing61. (It should be noted that in some type of films no separate gildingmaterial is employed. Instead, decorative pigment is mixed with thesizing and it is the the mixture of pigment and sizing which is appliedto the surface.)

As the film 36 passes around roller 25 toward surface 21 it is heatedand the layer of wax or other adhesive 59 melts. Thus, the bond betweenthe carrier film 58 and the gilding 60 is destroyed. In addition as thefilm heats up the sizing 61 becomes activated or tacky. As the film 36comes in contact with the surface 21, and is pressed against thatsurface by the roller 25, the heat and pressure cause the tacky sizingto bond the gilding 60 to the surface 21. At the same time, the bondbetween the film 58 and the gilding 60 having been dissipated, the film58 is separated from the gilding 60 and is drawn away from it by thetake-away rolers 39 and 40.

With a machine such as that shown in FIGS. 3 through 9, it may bedifficult under some circumstances to apply gilding to a surface in arestricted area, such as the portion of the surface near an internalcorner. The modification shown in the embodiment of FIG. overcomes suchdifficulty. The machine in FIG. 10 includes substantially all of theparts shown in the full views of FIGS. 4 and 5, together with additionalparts. The shape of the side plates 27 is changed somewhat so that theseplates extend for wardly and downwardly further. At the lower forwardextremity of the side plates 27 there is mounted a \wedge shaped presserblock 65. It is held in position on the frame by means of screws 66. Thepresser block 65 has a metal core 67, and a silicone rubber outersurface 68 which extends at least along the bottom and front of theblock 65. When it is desired to apply a film on a surface such as 21'adjacent an internal corner such as that formed by surface 69', thecoating carrying film 36 is threaded through the machine in thefollowing manner. It passes from feed rollers 37 and 38 over the top ofapplication roller 2-5, thence around the front of wedge shaped pusherblock 65, backwardly across the bottom of the block and end applicationroll 25 and finally to the take-away rollers 39 and 40. The machine isthen pushed into the internal corner or other restricted space withpressure applied to the surface 21 both through roller 25 and presserblock 65. In this way the gilding is transferred to surface 21' even upinto the corner region.

It should be noted that pusher block 65 is provided with an internallydisposed heating element 70 and that the heat sink used in the machineof FIG. 4 is omitted to make threading easier. :It should also bepointed out that 10 pressure block can be removed from the machine whenits use is not required.

In some cases it may be desired to apply the gilding to the surface in apattern in order to obtain such decorative effects. Such effects mayinclude gilded lettering or other patterns. This can be accomplished inaccordance with the invention by embossing the roller 25 or by cuttingaway portions of its surface. Since the gilding material has very littletensile strength only that portion of the gilding rntaerial which issubjected to pressure by the roller when it is urged against the surfacewill be applied to the surface, and the remaining portion of the gildingcarried on film 36 is separated and remains on the film. In FIG. 11there is shown a roller 25' having a section 71 which is depressedcompared to the major portion of the surface of the roller. When such aroller is used in a machine of the kind described hereinabove, only thegilding edges pressed against the surface by the outer sections of theroller 25 marked 72 and 73 will be applied to the surface. There willthus be an ungilded section having a regular shape between the twogilded sections.

On some occasions the surface to be gilded may have a surface which iscontoured in one direction. If the profile of the surface to be gildedis uniform along one axis, gilding can readily be applied by a machineof the invention if it is modified by the provision of a resilientlysurfaced heat conducting roller having the same profile as the surface.Such a roller is illustrated in FIG. 12. It can be seen from that figurethat the contour of surface 21 is complex and includes several cutouts.The roller 25" has a surface with cutouts designed to match those ofsurface 21". In other respects the machine of FIG. 12 is like that ofFIG. 4, and the parts of the machine are given corresponding referencecharacters. The machine is moved along the surface 21 in the directionin which the surface has a uniform profile; with the roller fitted tothe profile. The film 36 is pressed into the profiled surface and thegilding is thereby applied.

The modified embodiment of FIG. 13 provides a gilding machine which maybe used alone, or in conjunction with the machine of FIG. 4 to obviatethe necessity of modifying that machine in accordance with FIG. 8 eachtime a restricted area is to be gilded. The machine of FIG. 13 includesa wedge-shaped presser block 65', a handle 75 by means of which pressurecan be applied against a surface and an arm 76 holding a supply roll 24.In operation, the film 36 is fed from the supply roll 24' around an endpresser block 65'. The presser block is pushed against and across thesurface to be gilded thereby applying the gilding to that surface. Thepresser block 65' like the one described earlier has a silicone rubberportion 68', a metal core 67 and an internally disposed heater I claim:

1. A hand-held machine for applying a heat releasable coating to thesurface of an article from a coating carrying film comprising a frame;

supply means mounted on said frame for delivering coating carrier film;

an application roller rotatably mounted in said frame,

said roller having a resilient heat conducting surface thereon forreceiving said film from said supply means near the top of said rollerand for transferring said coating to the surface of the article at thebottom of said roller;

means mounted within said application roller for raising the temperatureof said surface of said application roller to coating releasing level torelease said coating from said film at a point intermediate the top andbottom of said roller; and

take-away means mounted on said frame adjacent said application rollerfor drivingly engaging said film after heat release and transfer of thecoating to the surface of the article to draw said film away from saidapplication roller, said take away means including a roller mounted forrotation with said application roller at substantially the same linearspeed upon rotation of said application roller for taking away saidfilm.

2. A hand-held machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface ofsaid application roller is electrically conductive and said means forraising the temperature includes means internally of said applicationroller for passing an electric current through said surface.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said temperatureraising means comprises a heating element mounted internally of saidroller, a heat sink mounted on said frame adjacent said applicationroller, and a thermostat mounted adjacent said heat sink.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said take-away meanscomprises a pair of film take-away rollers mounted for rotation on saidframe, and in which said machine further comprises a pair of filmfeeding rollers mounted for rotation on said frame between said supplyroll mounting means and said application roller, said feed rollers beingadapted to drivingly engage coating carrying film and feed it from saidsupply roll to said application roller, and drive means interconnectedbetween said application roller, said feeding rollers, and saidtake-away roller for rotating all of said rollers at substantially thesame linear speed upon rotation of said application roller.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising rollermounting means adapted to hold said application roller in rolling areaengagement with said article, handle means connected with said rollermounting means for pressing said roller into rolling area engagementwith said article, and heating means internally of said roller forheating the surface thereof.

6. A hand-held machine for applying a heat releasable coating to thesurface of an article from a coating carrying film comprising: a frame,an application roller mounted for rotation on said frame and having aheat conducting surface projecting partially below said frame forcontact with the surface of said article, means for raising thetemperature of said heat conducting surface to coating releasing level,supply means mounted on said frame adapted to deliver coating carryingfilm to said roller, take-away roller mounted for rotation on said framebehind said application roller for drivingly engaging said film afterheat release of the coating thereon and transfer of the coating to thesurface of said article and drawing said film away from said applicationroller; and

drive means interconnected between said application roller and said takeaway roller for rotating said rollers at substantially the same linearspeed upon rotation of said application roller.

7. A hand-held machine for applying a heat releasable coating to thesurface of an article from a coating carrying film comprising: a frame,an application roller mounted for rotation on said frame and having aheat conducting surface means for raising the temperature of said heatconducting surface, a generally wedge shaped presser piece mounted onsaid frame in front of and substantially parallel to the axis of saidroller in contact with said article and adapted to receive coatingcarrying film from said roller for advancement around said presser piecesaid presser piece having a heat conducting surface and a heatingelement for raising the temperature of said heat conducting pressersurface to coating releasing level to thereby transfer said coating tothe surface of said article, supply means mounted on said frame adaptedto deliver coating carrying film to said roller, and take away meansmounted on said frame adjacent said application roller for drivinglyengaging said film after heat release of the coating thereon andtransfer of the coating to the surface of said article and drawing saidfilm away from said presser piece.

8. A hand-held apparatus for applying a heat relesable coating to thesurface of an article from a coating supplying a film comprising aframe, a generally wedged shape application element mounted at one endof said frame, said element having a metal core, a heat conductingsurface disposed about said metal core and heating means mountedinternally of said core for transferring heat to said surface, andsupply means mounted on said frame for supplying coating carrying filmbetween the surface of said application element and the surface of saidarticle to thereby supply said coating to said article.

9. A hand-held apparatus for applying a heat releasable coating to thesurface of an article from a coating supplying film comprising a frame,a generally wedged shape application element mounted at one end of saidframe, said element having a heat conducting surface and heating meansmounted internally of said element, and supply means mounted on saidframe for supplying coating carrying film between the surface of saidapplication element and the surface of said article to thereby applysaid coating to said article.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,136,497 4/1915 Swallow 156579X1,231,094 6/1917 Swallow 15654O 2,645,871 7/1953 Bostwick 156540X3,054,715 9/1962 White 156233 3,415,705 12/1968 Ettre 156-540 3,434,9023/1969 Bliss 156-493X HAROLD ANSHER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,575,77 Dated Ap 97 Inventor(s) R. T. Billings It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. line 19 insert the word --immediately-- after the word"positioned".

Col. 7, line 2H "between" should be --below--.

Col. 9, line M "rolers" should be --rollers--.

Col. 10, line 10 "mtaerial" should be --material--.

Signed and sealed this I 0th day of August 1 971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

